Been deployed? Post a pic!

OIF1

 

The old tower was Bagram. We swung by KAF though

 

i sarted thid deployment at BAF now i'm at KAF

 

i did route clearance from mehter lam to najil all the time in 11-12!

 

Nice bud. I assume that by then it was a peaceful utopia who's citizens gleefully extolled the virtues of a central democracy?

To be honest it wasn't that bad for us. We had more IEDs down by Mehterlam than up by Najil. At Najil we'd get mortared maybe 1-2 times a week but it was rarely effective/accurate. I will say that from Najil we walked into some backwater villages where the quality of life and general social structure was something that could have existed a single generation removed from the stone age.

 

When I was there we would usually clear up to Najil and not run into much but going back to Mehter Lam we usually found ieds or got shot at. Going past the cell tower just outside the ecp was usually a guarantee you’d get shot at. Those villages were something else for sure! Our brigade did an op in one of the valleys where they thought we were the Russians. That’s how long it had been since they’d seen foreigners... pretty cool to talk to someone else who’s been there!

 

Don't usually post photos but these were 4th of July bombs we built a few years ago destined for Syria/Iraq. Supposedly the pilots had a highest donation to a charity of their choice to see who would drop them.

 

I actually went on this deployment after I ETS'd the first time and was called back in through the IRR. I had taken the GMAT and submitted my application for grad school and I was accepted a few months into being in Afghanistan, so when a slot opened up at the Mehterlam PCC I took it so I could crank out work and have regular access to the internet. There was a motor pool at the JPCC of abandoned russian 4x4s that they kept untouched in the event that the russians are ever in charge over there again. They play ball and use the green ford rangers that we provide them while we're there though. In fact, some of my Afghan counterparts spoke fondly of Russia's intentions in Afghanistan. This world man, it makes no sense...

 

Clayton?!

 

Funny thing is I have a picture somewhere of these crossed swords from the air. I think there are two pairs, one at each end of the avenue. They're so big you can see them from 20,000 feet!

 

Who's asking?

 

yeah man thats pretty crazy! I can't remember if those were still there when i was there. I just remember all the blown up trucks that they had parked in the motor pool. lol i wouldn't mind trying out one of those old 4x4s over here!

 

Great thread. I’m sure I crossed paths with some of you fine folks.

Here’s a couple of truck-related pics that I think this forum might appreciate.

I think this was taken in Kuwait as we left for a second staging area, from which we would leave to breach the berm between Kuwait and Iraq to begin the 2003 invasion. Those poor bastards in the back of the dump truck are reservists that were attached to us last minute. Someone (cough-shiny collar-cough) thought it best to reinforce the dump bed with sandbags and let them ride in back, rather than leave them to ride with the main party later. They rode back there through Nasiryah Ambush Alley in March 2003. I can’t recall when they detached from us and found a new ride, but it wasn’t long after that. Note the MK19 ratchet strapped on the dump and the lack of armor. Only the best gear for the Marine Corps. Adapt and overcome they said?


This is an Army 2 1/2 ton that we found abandoned on the side of the road in Iraq. The Warrant Officer gave us the go ahead and a couple of us managed to get it started and we limped it to our makeshift berm base. We couldn’t get it running well enough to join the convoy before we moved further north, but rumor has it that it was kept in Marine Corps possession. Gear adrift...

 

Me. How many Jay's do you know who have a Tacoma in Europe right now? lol

 

Hey I'm slow! I actually figured it out after I posted that, just wasn't clicking at first.

 

Afghanistan 2009

 

Just saw this thread. I was there July-November 2018.

 

OIF 07
OIF 09-10

 

Its crazy seeing all these pics of how everything used to be. Its no where close to what it used to be now except for the ANA/ANP still not being reliable. Ill have to post some pics when I'm at a better point. Not in the greatest position ATM. Keep this thread rolling.

 

OEF 2012, Bagram Airfield

Army 13F Forward Observer